Motion-picture viewer



Feb., 17, 1953 F. T. coFFEY, SR

MoTIoN-PcTuRE VIEWER Filed Nov. 22, 1948 Il l" E Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 17, 1953 F. T. coFFEY, SR 2,628,526 MOTION-PICTURE VIEWER Filed NOV. 22, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N /'EN TOR.

TTR/V Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES rgTENT oEFlcE MOTION-PICTURE VIEWER Francis T. Coffey, Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 22, 1948, Serial No. 61,470

2 Claims.

now Patent No. 2,533,560, issued December 12 1950, and also my pending application for patent on Motion Picture Viewer, Serial No. 5,966, iiled February 3, 1948, now Patent No. 2,516,678, issued July 25, 1950, the present device incorporating many features of improvement thereover.

One object or" the present invention is to provide a picture viewer embodying an improved means for supporting a coil of motion picture nlm within a casing to adapt the lm to be fed from a rewind supply spool onto a wind-up spool or` drum, the latter being of novel construction. The improved device also has manually operable means for selectively rotating the take-up drum or the rewind spool so as either to feed the nlm in a direction for viewing or in a reverse direction to cause it to be rewound upon the spool, either operation being carried out when the casing is closed.

Another object is to provide a device, of the character referred to, having a novel and ingeni. ous film-feeding means, this means being actuated in timed relation to the rotation of the film windeup drum and including an intermittently rotated feeding wheel for advancing the frames of pictures of the motion picture lm with a stepby-step motion past an aperture in the side of the casing. A related object is to provide a simple yet positive driving means for intermittently rotating the film-feeding Wheel in timed sequence with the film take-up drum, this driving means including a modied Geneva stop motion connected to be driven from the manually operable means for rotating the wind-up drum. A further related object is to provide film-feeding means in which the wind-up drum is rotated at a speed regulated to the nlm-feeding wheel so that stretching and breaking of the film is prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved shutter mechanism for alternately opening and closing the aperture to admit and shut on the transmission of light through the pictures of the lm, said mechanism being oscillated in timed relation with the nlm-feeding wheel.

Another object is to provide improved means for guiding the lm past the aperture in a manner such that bending or buckling of the iilm is prevented.

A further object is to provide a film viewer f which is adapted to be either held in a hand of the user or mounted on a support or standard vwhen viewing the lm. A related object is to provide means whereby the device can be adjusted angularly on the support in accordance with the position of the operator when viewing the lm. A further object is to provide a device which ernbodies means for illuminating the nlm, this means comprising an electric lamp carried by the supporting means and angularly adjustable with the device so as to maintain the light source in alignment with the aperture in the casing at all times.

A still further object is to provide a lm-viewing device which is relatively simple in construction, convenient to operate, and highly efficient in performing its intended function.

Further objects are set forth in the following specification, which describes a preferred embodiment o1" the invention, by way or example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of my improved nlm viewer;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the means for detachably connecting the viewer to the supporting structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the viewer device, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the eyepiece, as viewed in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, taken on line ef-6 or" Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a similar View, taken on line 7-'. of Fig. 3;

Fig. d is a detail oi' the Geneva stop motion in the drive for the nlm-feeding wheel;

Fig. 9 is a detail of the means for actuating the shutter;

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line iii-m of Fig. 6;

Fig. 1l is a cross-sectional view, taken on line li-il of Fig. 6;

Fig. i2 is a cross-sectional View, taken on line |2--i2 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a spindle for the film take-up drum; and,

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the take-up drum.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my improved film viewer comprises a substantially kidney-shaped casing, preferably made from plastic material, and having a side wall 3 and a, flange-like perimetrical wall 4. A similar angelike wall 5 projects from the side wall 3 and defines a compartment 6. A large cover 8 is detachably secured to the Wall 4 of the casing by clips 9 and normally closes the open side of the casing. A smaller cover or closure i normally closes the open side of the compartment 6 and is held in place by screws At the midportion of the curved part of the wall is a square aperture l2 (Fig. 7) through which light can enter the interior of the casing 2. At the opposite straight side of the wall 4 is a tapped hole in which an eyepiece is screwed, the eyepiece having a square aperture I6 therein (Figs. 5 and 7). Disposed inwardly of the eyepiece l is a boss il in which a lens i8 is mounted, the lens being in alignment with the apertures I6 and i2. A third square aperture is provided in a film guide 2| and aligned with the other apertures. The guide 2| is preferably formed integral with the side wall 3 of the casing 2, and has a central straight guide portion 22 and curved end portions 23. The straight portion of the walls 5 is also provided with a pair of spaced finger-pieces 24 by means of which the viewer can be held between the thumb and index finger of an operator. A pair of curved partitions 25 and 26 define, with the walls at the lower and upper ends of the casing 2, a pair of compartmentsZl and 28 in which coils of the motion picture lm F can be disposed, in the manner to be next explained.

A transverse spindle 30 is rotatable in the wall 3 and the closure 8, and has an outwardly projecting head 3| at one end provided with an axial hole 32 and a transverse slot 33. At its inner end, the spindle 3G has a flattened portion 36. A rewind iilm spool 35 is adapted to be slid onto the spindle 38 when the cover 8 is removed, the spool having a rectangular opening 35 for receiving the flattened end of the spindle to key these parts for unitary rotation. As will be apparent, the spool 3c is adapted to support a coil of the nlm F. Means. to be later described, are provided for intermittently drawing the film from the spool 35 and feeding it upwardly across the aperture 20 of the lm guide 2l. Y

From the guide 2| the lm leads upwardly into the upper compartment 28 to be wound onto a Wind-up drum 33. As shown in Fig. 14, the drum 38 is made in the form of a cylinder having a portion of its periphery cut away to provide a substantially flat rest 39 against which the end of the lm F is placed, and a shoulder portion lll which has a slit lil therein for receiving the extreme end of the lm. A thin bar G2 disposed in a radial slot of the drum 38 has a pair of spaced lugs d3 which engage in perforations @LA adjacent the edges of the film F. The drum 38 has an axial bore l5 which is cylindrical throughout the greater portion of its length, but which is square at one end, as indicated at 46. The drum 38 is adapted to be mounted on a second transverse spindle d8 which rotates in the wall 3 of the casing 2, the inner end i9 of the spindle being made square to allow it to enter the square hole 46 of the drum so as to key these parts together. As shown in Fig. 3, the outer end of the spindle llt is disposed in the compartment 6 and provided with a disc-like head 50 which forms a clutch element. The outer face of the clutch element 56 is provided with a plurality of recesses 5| cach having a sloping side 52. The spindle it is normally urged outwardly or toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, by a leaf spring 53 which is carried by the cover 8 and engages the inner square end of the spindle.

The clutch head 50 of the take-up spindle d8 engages a companion clutch element 55 formed integral with a gear 56 which is disposed in the compartment 6 and has a stub shaft 5"! rotatable in a hole in the closure I0. The clutch element 55 is provided with slanted teeth 58, similar to ratchet teeth, which are disposed in the recesses 5| of the element 50, the sloping surfaces of the teeth engaging against the corresponding surfaces of the recesses 5| to provide Va driving connection therebetween. If, during the winding of the film F onto the drum v38, resistance to the rotation of the drum is encountered, due to improper feeding of the nlm, or from any other cause, slippage between the clutch elements can occur so as to prevent breaking of the film. In

p other words, the spindle 48 is forced toward the left against the action of the leaf spring 53 to permit relative rotation between the clutch elements, so that excessive pull on the film is prevented.

The gear 56 is driven from a manually rotated gear 59 through idler gears 6|) and 6| (Figs. 3 and 6), which have integral stub shafts rotatable in bearing holes in the wall 3 and the closure it. As shown in Fig. l1, the gear 59 is operatively connected to an element 62 of a Geneva stop motion, the element being secured to an operating shaft 63 which is rotatable in a bearing hole in the cover I9. The outer end of the shaft S3 projects from the cover l0 and has an axial hole 64 and a transverse slot E5. The shaft 53 is adapted to be rotated by means of a handle B which has a hub 6l provided with an axial extension adapted to enter the hole 64 and a transverse lug 53 adapted to enter the slot 65 to key the handle and the shaft for simultaneous rotation. Thus, when the handle 66 is connected to the shaft S3 and rotated, the gear 56 is rotated by the train of gears, 5S, E0, and 6|, to drive the nlm druml 38 in a direction to Wind the nlm F thereon. After a nlm-viewing operation, the film can be readily rewound upon the spool 35 by disconnecting the handle 6B from the shaft 63 and connecting it in a similar manner to the spindle 30 and rotating the latter.

The element 62 of the Geneva stop motion has a plurality of teeth it which are adapted. when rotated, to successively enter slots l! of the other element l2 of the motion to index the latter through a portion of a revolution. ri'Che element 52 is rotatable on a fixed shaft '.'3 carried by the cover IE, and is secured to a vfilm-feeding. wheel i5 which is retained on the shaft 'l5 by a bolt it (Fig. l2). The wheel 'i5 passes through an opening 'i7 in the wall 3 of the casing 2 and is disposed adjacent the lower curved portion 23 of the film guide 2| (Fig. 7 which is concentric with the axis of rotation of the wheel, the film F passing therebetween. The wheel 25 has teeth 'accesso adapted to engage in the perforations 44 of the film so that, when the wheel is `rotated interm-ittently, the film is fed upwardly toward the windup drum with a step-by-step movement, the lm following the path shown by full lines in Fig. 7.

it is essential that the transmission of light through the aperture 2t be shut olf during Athe advancing of the lm past this aperture to locate a new picture or frame in alignment therewith. The alternate openingV and closing of the aperture E@ is effected by a shutter mechanism which includes a shutter lever 80 pivoted at 8| within the compartment 6. The lever has an angular shutter 82 at one end which extends through an opening 33 in the wall 3 into the casing 2 in position to adapt it to extend across the aperture 2i). The other end of the lever 80 has a cam follower 84 which rests against a cam $5 (Fig. 9) secured between the gear 59 and element E2 and rotatable therewith. The cam i525 has a plurality of cam lobes 86 which, when the cam is rotated, oscillate the shutter lever 8U, the latter being held in engagement with the cam by means of a wire spring 8i having one end attached to the side of the lever` and its other end engaging a fixed lug 88 (Fig. 6).

If desired the viewer, as thus far described, can be held in a hand of the operator and directed toward any source of light to cause the light to pass through the aligned apertures 2, I 6, and 20, .ai

and through the nlm F, The lm is viewed by sighting through the eyepiece, as indicated in Fig. 7. Successive pictures of the lm are moved into registry with the apertures and the eyepiece by turning the operating shaft 53 by means of the handle 56, the film then being fed intermittently upwardly toward the take-up drum 32, which is rotated continuously to Wind up the lin. After the film has been viewed, it

can be rewound on the supply spool 35 by rst withdrawing it from the guide 2| and feeding wheel 'i5 and then rotating the spindle 30 by neans of the handle G, to cause the film to travel through the path indicated by dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 'I and in the direction indicated by the broken arrows.

in order to further facilitate viewing the motion picture lm, it is desirable that the viewer be held stationary, and this is best attained by mounting the viewer on a support means to be next described. The support means includes a base ilil adapted to rest upon a table or other support 9| and having an aperture in its top portion for receiving the lower reduced end of an upright or standard 93. An angular bracket 9.2i projecting upwardly from the base 9G has a slot 95 through which the screw shank of a thumbscrew sii extends, the shank being screwed into a tapped hole in the standard 93 to detachably connect these parts. llhe upper end of 16 viewer is releasably attached to the support means.

The holder 98 is provided with a lateral extension |61 on which a lamp house |08 is mounted. Within the lamp house |88 is an electric lamp |63 which may be connected to an electrical source by wires I0. Light from the lamp 209 is adapted `to pass through an opening |i| in the side of the lamp house, the opening being aligned with the aperture |2 of the casing 2 so that the light is projected through the film.

While the film viewing device is herein disclosed as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it is obvious that various modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

l. A motion picture viewer, comprising: a casing having an aperture in one wall thereof through which light can pass; an eyepiece in the opposite wall of the casing; a lens within the casing in alignment with and disposed between said aperture and said eyepiece; an oscillatable shutter means disposed between said eyepiece and said lens and adapted to alternately cover and uncover said aperture; a first shaft rotatable in said casing; cam means carried by said shaft and engageable with said shutter means for oscillating said shutter means; spaced rotatable spool spindles within the casing adapted to support film spools, the first of said spools constituting a rewind spool and being adapted to carry a coil of y perforated picture film to be viewed, and the second of said spools constituting a wind-up spool and being adapted to receive film unwound from said rst spool; guide means for guiding the film past said aperture; a film feeding wheel rotatable in said casing and having teeth engageable in the perforations of the film to feed the same past said aperture; driving means for intermittently rotating said feeding wheel from said first shaft so as to draw film from said first spool with a step-bystep motion; a train of gearing between said first shaft and the spindle for the windup spool; and manually operable means for rotating said first shaft.

2. A motion picture viewer, comprising: a casing having an aperture in one wall thereof through which light can pass; an eyepiece in the opposite wall of the casing; a lens within the casing in alignment with and disposed between Y said aperture and said eyepiece; an oscillatable the standard carries a pivot stud 91 on which |63 serving to prevent rotation of the casing. Av

thumbscrew il (Figs. l and 2) passes through holes in the portion 02 and the wall 4 of the casing, and is screwed into a nut element |05 on the casing so that by tightening the screw the The shutter means disposed between said eyepiece and said lens and adapted to alternately cover and uncover said aperture; a rst shaft rotatable in said casing; cam means carried by said shaft and engageable with said shutter means for oscillating said shutter means; a spring carried by said shutter means and engageable with a fixed lug for maintaining said shutter means in engagement with said cam means, spaced rotatable spool spindles within the casing adapted to support film spools, the first of said spools constituting a rewind spool and being adapted to carry a coil of perforated picture film to be viewed, and the second of said spools constituting a wind-up spool and being adapted to receive film unwound from said rst spool; guide means for guiding the lm past said aperture; a film-feeding wheel rotatable in said casing and having teeth engageable in the perforations of the film to feed the same past said aperture; driving means for intermittently rotating said feeding wheel from said rst shaft so as to draw film from said rst 7 spool with a step-by-step motion; a train of reduction gearing between said rst shaft and the spindle for the wind-up spool; and manually operable'handle means for rotating said rst shaft.

FRANCIS T. COFFEY, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,190,370 Billings July 11, 1916 1,229,697 Allen June 12, 1917 1,450,555 Lepine Apr. 3, 1923 1,517,542 Doherty Dec. 2, 1924 Number Number Name Date Johnston Oct. 13, 1925 Hauser et al Aug. 26, 1930 Owens Feb. 9, 1932 Tideman Aug. 2, 1932 Bowen et al Sept. 13, 1932 Wttel July 26, 1938 Goldberg Feb. 8, 1938 Isaac Sept. 11, 1945 Blair Sept. 13, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Nov. 6, 1916 Great Britain Oct. 9, 1924 Italy June 14, 1927 

